Brooklyn leaders rally on steps of Manhattan courthouse to oppose stop-and-frisk
As the lawsuit against the New York Police Department proceeds in a Manhattan federal courthouse, Brooklyn elected officials and community members came out yesterday to speak out against the NYPD’s stop and frisk policy.
The press conference and rally took place in front of the federal courthouse at 500 Pearl Street in Downtown Manhattan. Brooklyn Council members Jumaane Williams, Letitia James, Brad Lander and Stephen Levin were slated to attend. A number of elected officials were not present due to previously scheduled budget meetings.
Police have made about 5 million stops during the past decade, mostly of black and Hispanic men. Lawyer Darius Charney of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which filed the suit in 2008 on behalf of medical student David Floyd and three others, called many of the stops a “frightening and degrading experience” that violates the civil rights of many New Yorkers.